She accompanied you, excitedly, all the way to the hotel and was met with the tearful gazes of your beloved and all your loved ones. A symbol of the most beautiful day of your life—but also of a significant investment—your wedding dress deserves your full attention and the best care so you can continue to enjoy its beauty for many years after your big day.
Lace, embroidery, delicate fabrics… Find out how to clean them and keep them looking their best.
1/ Faire confiance à un professionnel du nettoyage
Throughout the big day, your wedding dress will be prone to all sorts of accidental and unavoidable stains: wine, sauce, lipstick marks, grass, dirt… In an emergency, simply dab the stain with a white cloth to absorb the excess. Do not use water or salt, and above all, do not rub the stain—you’ll only make the damage worse.
The key is to have your wedding dress cleaned as soon as possible after the wedding to prevent stains from setting in and becoming more difficult to remove during the cleaning process. Given the complexity of the fabrics and their composition, it’s best to have a professional cleaner handle the cleaning of your wedding dress. To help them do their job, take the time to clearly explain the nature of the stains to the cleaner.
Better yet, hire an eco-friendly cleaner who uses organic, gentle, solvent-free products. Daoust Eco-Performance Cleaners offers the “Super White” treatment, a unique eco-friendly whitening process that uses an oxygen-based, chlorine-free, odorless agent—ideal for preserving the brilliance of your white dress.
2/ Choosing the Right Medium
To keep your wedding dress in the best possible condition, avoid creases as much as possible—so don’t drape it over a chair or fold it into fifths inside a box.
Plastic storage boxes and covers are not suitable for long-term preservation of a wedding dress. This type of storage prevents the fibers from “breathing” and can cause the fabric to fade or yellow.
It is therefore recommended that you use a hanger to hang your wedding dress. A hanger is a good solution, but be sure to choose it carefully. A metal hanger could rust over time and stain your dress; wooden hangers are often treated and may release oils that cause unsightly stains; and plastic hangers may not be sturdy enough and could bend under the weight of the dress. The ideal choice, therefore, is a padded hanger covered with fabric. To protect your dress, opt for a protective cover made of thick, non-woven fabric.
3/ Store it in the right place
Once you’ve found the right protective cover, we strongly recommend storing your precious dress in a safe place, away from any potential hazards.
It’s best to store it in a living area at room temperature and avoid, as much as possible, places such as attics or basements, which are often far too humid for the proper preservation of your wedding dress. Rooms subject to extreme temperature fluctuations could cause the fibers to become brittle.
4/ Keep moths away at all costs
These little critters are your dress’s worst enemies. They’re generally attracted to dust and dirt. So it’s a good idea to air out your precious wedding dress regularly to remove any dust that may have accumulated on its cover and attracted moths. It’s a great excuse to admire it once a year!
To be on the safe side, you can also use an organic moth repellent in your closet, replacing it every three months. Be careful not to let it come into direct contact with the dress.
5/ Be wary of old wives’ tales
Old wives’ remedies are often welcome and very practical in everyday life. However, not all of them are worth trying, especially when it comes to caring for fabrics as delicate as lace or silk. For example, blue tissue paper—long recommended for storing wedding dresses to prevent them from yellowing—actually tends to bleed onto the bright white fabric over time… So take this advice with a grain of salt!
The same goes for common misconceptions, such as “champagne doesn’t stain,” for example. Even if it doesn’t show up right away, a champagne stain can resurface up to a year after the event if it isn’t treated in time.
To put all the rumors to rest and ensure you make the right choices when it comes to caring for your wedding dress, don’t hesitate to ask a professional cleaner for advice—they’ll be able to answer all your questions.
Daoust Eco-Friendly Cleaners understands the importance of this iconic garment and its great sentimental value. These experts in eco-friendly cleaning will take great care of your wedding dress to preserve its beauty and all the memories associated with it.
